Strands of potentially harmful volcanic glass are blanketing a slice of Hawaii's Big Island that continues to contend with eruptions from the Kilauea volcano.

The spindly fibers, called Pele's hair, began accumulating on the ground in Leilani Estates and surrounding neighborhoods after Kilauea first began erupting in May. Wind can carry the potentially harmful particles long distances, scientists warned.

Individual strands can measure up to 6 1/2 feet long, according to the United States Geological Survey, and may cause respiratory problems when inhaled. It can also find its way into rainwater that's collected for drinking.

"If the filters aren't fine enough to filter out the hair, then you can get hair in the water," Don Swanson, a geologist at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, told Live Science. Pele's hair, he said, can "inflame and irritate anything that comes in contact with it."

Now Playing:

Raw helicopter footage from the U.S. Geological Survey of Kīlauea Volcano's lower East Rift Zone on June 4, 2018, showing lava entering the ocean at Kapoho Bay on the Big Island of Hawaii. According to officials, an explosion at the summit of the Kilauea volcano triggered a 5.5-magnitude earthquake on Sunday and sent an ash plum 8,000 feet into the air.